Ohio gaming regulators on Wednesday banned a bettor who allegedly called Major League Baseball and made violent threats against Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider during the 2025 World Series. The Ohio Casino Control Commission placed Blake Morgan of Thornville, Ohio on the state's Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List, barring him from all state gaming facilities and the state's legal betting market.
Morgan denied making the threats. He said he filed an appeal after being notified of the allegations in March, but records obtained by ESPN show he did not appear at a June hearing on his case. Morgan allegedly called Major League Baseball's customer service line around Oct. 28, the night of Game 4 between the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The roughly 14-minute call included an audio recording in which the caller, who asked to be identified as "B," accused Schneider of "lying" about his plan to walk Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The caller also said he could "knock the dude's head off" on live TV and warned that the league would have to "deal with your manager."
MLB investigators traced the call to Morgan, who acknowledged gambling and making the call, saying he was "pissed off" but had no plans to travel to Toronto or Los Angeles. MLB banned him indefinitely from its venues and events, and the local sheriff's department also spoke with him. It is unclear whether criminal charges have been filed.
MLB spokesperson said the league would continue working with regulators to protect those in the industry from unacceptable threats. Sports leagues say gambling-related threats against athletes, coaches and officials have increased as legal betting has expanded in the U.S. In September, MLB, the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and WNBA wrote to state regulators urging action.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing